Zero Dark Thirty

As I saw this show, I was comparing it to two things: "Argo" and a History Channel documentary entitled "Targeting Bin Laden". I probably shouldn't have done that. I agree that the movie is well directed and Jessica Chastain did a good job but I was hoping for some additional suspense. We all knew how "Argo" was going to end but thanks to director Ben Affleck, we were kept on the edge of our seats. "Targeting Bin Laden" told the story of the death of Osama bin Laden from the perspective of President Obama and high government officials. The reason why that documentary is enjoyable to watch is because it explores the steps taken to keep the mission confidential. It also gave detail of the high stakes involved. "Zero Dark Thirty" had realism but its focus was not on how bin Laden was eliminated. Instead, we are told the story of a CIA officer and her near-decade long quest of finding bin Laden.

The film begins with actual audio clips from September 11th. With a beginning like this, I was expecting a mirror scene at the end of the film where the US citizens are celebrating upon hearing the news that bin Laden is dead. On the other hand, this is not my movie and Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow wanted to tell the story of one person. When it comes to watching movies, I must be emotionally invested with the protagonist. In the case of this movie, I had trouble relating to Maya. I guess that is because I am a guy. The level of swearing was a little bothersome for me, especially during a conversation between Maya and Chief Bradley. The best quality about this film is the direction from Bigelow. I can tell why she won an Oscar four years ago for "The Hurt Locker". She definitely deserved it over her ex-husband. I liked how the Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing was depicted. During the establishing shot, I could tell that something bad was going to happen but the conversation between Maya and Jessica made me completely forget that inclination. The Camp Chapman attack would also have been a well-created scene if it had not been spoiled in TV ads. Smart filmmakers should pay attention to little things like that in marketing. I was waiting for the moment when al-Kuwaiti would be first mentioned in the film because I knew then that the climax would be approaching. When I saw the words "Area 51", I humorously thought that maybe alien technology was going to help kill bin Laden. I think this is the first non-science fiction film I have seen that features Area 51. I was excited for the ending when we see the depiction of the raid against the compound in Abbottabad but it did not balance with the rest of the film. The whole movie is about Maya but once the mission gets underway, the focus shifts to the SEAL team and that didn't work too well for me. We do see Maya throughout the raid but not enough times considering that the movie is about her. The behavior of the SEAL team members is sometimes casual during the assault on the compound and I would have been more entertained if they acted a little more professional while on the job. The team members are featured quite predominantly as characters before & after the attack and I would have liked it if they were not. This would have put more focus on the character of Maya. It appears that Bin Laden is shot by accident in the film where as according to the actual record, the SEAL team spotted Bin Laden at the top of the stairs before they got to third floor. Once on that floor, they shot him in the chest fully knowing that it was he. I like the latter version personally. I will say that despite these criticisms, the climax was realistically portrayed. I am happy with the depiction of how the SEAL team treats the women and children. It contrasts how al-Qaeda treated women and children on 9/11. It was nice to see some familiar faces in this show. I haven't seen Joel Edgerton in a movie since the Star Wars prequels. I failed to fully recognize Mark Strong while watching the film but it was nice to see Kyle Chandler. I can see why this film is controversial but as I was watching the torture scenes, I subconsciously knew that this was just a movie. Even if these torture methods were actually used during the Bush administration, the way they are acted out in this movie was not as awful as it could have been. I am not saying that what screenwriter Mark Boal came up with was right, rather that I have seen other movies that were more dramatic in their portrayal of torture. Bigelow held back a little.

"Zero Dark Thirty" was nominated for Best Picture, Actress, Original Screenplay, Film Editing and Sound Editing at the Oscars. I thought it would win the latter two awards but I was partically wrong. After all the hype, it walked away with only Best Sound Editing. Chastain won the Golden Globe for her performance but more importantly, I feel that Kathryn Bigelow should have received an Oscar nomination by the way. She did better than the winner Ang Lee. It is weird how the Academy snubbed both her and Ben Affleck. Bigelow is talented but I was hoping for the film to appeal to everyone in the audience. This movie was less suspense than "Argo". I want to know what the movie would have been like if Tony Scott or Paul Greengrass had directed it. People who are not familiar with the details of "Operation Neptune Spear" will enjoy the ending of "Zero Dark Thirty". For people like me who enjoy studying history, the film was good but not that good.

3 Stars